Standing Together
By Albert B. Kelly
We, as a
community, are a part of a nation founded upon the principles of life, liberty
and equality for all. Our nation remains great because of our willingness to
stand up for these principles wherever and whenever they are threatened. We have fought two world wars when the forces
of hate have threatened to engulf our way of life. We, as a nation, stood in
opposition to this attempt at dominance.
In light
of what has happened in places like Charlottesville and in other communities
around the country, it is time for us to once again stand for what is right and
bear witness to our American creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…”.
Though the
founding fathers did not originally include all racial and ethnic groups for
any number of reasons, the die had been cast in the direction of equality and
our subsequent civil rights were won by those willing to risk, and in some
cases, lose their lives to ensure that this was so- to make them real and
lasting
Though we hold,
and often champion different ideologies, perspectives, and faiths; we must
remember that we each have the right do this precisely because we are Americans
bound together not by race or ethnicity, but by our equality and our abiding
belief in our American creed.
We should
not feel threatened in standing up for our respective beliefs, unless of course
those beliefs have hatred and discrimination as their foundation- seeking to
infringe upon our rights and undermine the idea of equality simply because of
skin color, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.
The events
taking place around the country over the last several weeks have forced us, as a
nation, to take a hard look at ourselves against the backdrop of these violent acts
of extremism and bigotry that have, at various turns shocked, revolted, and
troubled us.
With these
thoughts in mind, I asked myself what I might do as an elected official to reaffirm
our core belief in equality and justice within our community during these turbulent
and chaotic times.
Now more
than ever, we cannot stand silent and allow the dark forces of hatred, whether
through bigotry, discrimination, or violence; to perpetuate itself or otherwise
go unanswered and unchallenged within our neighborhoods, homes, and
communities.
While we
cannot simply wish this all away, we also cannot allow it to fester like an
open sore or a viral infection that leaves us nothing but a legacy of
hopelessness that we in turn leave for the next generation to deal with and perhaps
answer for.
Far too
often we’ve kicked this can down the road and believe that somehow it will all
go away or resolve itself at some future time. But the time for action is now
and as elected officials, we must stand united in upholding the principles for
which we took oaths, pledging to represent our constituents and ensuring tolerance
and respect for all of our citizens.
Let no one
doubt that I stand against racism and hatred in all its forms That’s why I
support tearing down certain monuments of a bygone era which symbolize and
celebrate those who espoused racial conquest and subjugation. At the same time,
I stand ready to engage others on how we, as a community, can celebrate our
individuality and equality.
I believe that
we, meaning elected officials, civic leaders, and faith- based leadership; must
come together and stand shoulder to shoulder as a display of trust and
solidarity. We need to challenge racially
motivated biases that masquerade as policy or culture or governance that tear the
fabric of our community.
Someone
once asked; “if not you, who, if not now, when?” I say now is the time for those
who believe in the American ideals of justice and equality to stand together
and bear witness to the better angels of our American nature.
With that
in mind, I am inviting every elected official, both city and county, to join me
and others on the steps of the Cumberland County Court House for a candle light
vigil on September 3rd at 6:00pm to honor the memory of Heather
Heyer who was killed in Charlottesville standing against hate. As she once stood, so let us now stand together
against those same forces of darkness that took her life.
